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DeSC: 5 'sizes' for a perfect fit

The Desktop Systems Council (DeSC) committee is pleased to announce the new 'MacDeSC Lite' and 'DeSC Non-SFI Managed' additions to the set of managed environments offered through the DeSC program. MacDeSC Lite is a lightly managed Mac OS X option that offers the campus' Mac community more flexibility. DeSC Non-SFI Managed is a partially managed Windows computing environment for domain and non-domain devices that do not have an OIT computer image (e.g., Small Footprint Image (SFI), Cluster, etc.) installed. DeSC Standard, DeSC Lite and the MacDeSC Standard round out the set of program offerings.

The DeSC program, has long provided an easily maintainable, cost-effective standard computer environment for desktop and laptop computers. In the seventeen years since its start, computing environments have changed significantly. The one-size-fits-all offering that once worked is not suited for today’s less predictable and more complex computing environments. The new, more lightly managed environments reflect the DeSC program’s commitment to offer solutions that meet the current needs of campus.

MacDeSC Lite provides a solution for the growing number of Mac computers that are ineligible for the existing MacDeSC Standard environment. The DeSC Non-SFI Managed offers a managed environment for Windows devices that do not fit in either DeSC Standard or DeSC Lite environments. MacDeSC Lite and DeSC Non-SFI Managed environments provide a reduced level of centralized support and standardization, but accommodate a greater number of computer models.

The MacDeSC Lite offering accepts any Mac computer that can be set up using the MacDeSC process and can join the Princeton domain.

With DeSC Non-SFI Managed, departments can centrally manage software distributions to faculty and staff devices that can run Windows, but not an OIT image. Software distributions for DeSC Non-SFI Managed are the same as those sent to the DeSC Lite environment. DeSC Non-SFI Managed program devices:

Note that unlike the DeSC Standard environment, University Business Applications (UBA) are not guaranteed to run on the MacDeSC Standard, MacDeSC Lite, DeSC Lite or DeSC Non-SFI Managed machines and DeSC licensed software, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Photoshop and InDesign are currently not included in the these managed environments’ software sets.

The Desktop Systems Council committee oversees the use and maintenance of machines participating in all of the managed environments that comprise “The DeSC Program”. The Council serves to advise the University on standards for the managed computing environments for institutionally owned computers. For more information about the DeSC program and its managed environment offerings, see www.princeton.edu/desc.